About:

• SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme is a Central Sector Scheme which was launched by the Prime Minister on National Panchayati Raj Day, 24th April 2020.
• The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is the Nodal Ministry for implementation of the scheme. 
• In the States, the Revenue Department / Land Records Department will be the Nodal Department and shall carry out the scheme with support of the State Panchayati Raj Department. 
• Survey of India shall work as the technology partner for implementation.
• The scheme aims to provide the ‘record of rights’ to village household owners in rural areas and issue Property Cards.

• Under the scheme, the latest surveying technology such as drones will be used for measuring the inhabited land in villages and rural areas.
• The mapping and survey will be conducted in collaboration with the Survey of India, State Revenue Department and State Panchayati Raj Department under the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
• The drones will draw the digital map of every property falling in the geographical limit of each Indian village.

Objectives of the scheme:

• To bring financial stability to the citizens in rural India by enabling them to use their property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits.
• Creation of accurate land records for rural planning.
• To support in preparation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) by making use of Geographical Information System (GIS) maps.
• To reduce property related disputes and legal cases.

Present Coverage Area: 

The program is currently being implemented in six states – Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Why in News?

Prime Minister has launched the physical distribution of Property Cards under the SVAMITVA Scheme.